ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2021
Short-Term Mental Health Sequelae of Bereavement Predict Long-Term Physical Health Decline in Older Adults: U.S. Health and Retirement Study Analysis.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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23 citing papers in PubMed, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Detecting risk for depression and anxiety symptoms among older bereaved women using text-based analysis in the Nurses' Health Study II.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder among older adults: mapping physicians' knowledge and practice, and evaluating the effectiveness of a brief targeted training program.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Mapping Mental Health Across US States: the Role of Economic and Social Support Policies.The Milbank quarterly · 2025Article
- The new sociology of bereavement.Annual review of sociology · 2025Article
- Stressful Life Events and Neuroticism among Chinese Women with Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2025Article
- The Mental Health of Essential Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of U.S. State-level Policies.Society and mental health · 2025Article
- Inter-relationships of depression and anxiety symptoms among widowed and non-widowed older adults: findings from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey based on network analysis and propensity score matching.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Health-Related Quality of Life and Bereavement in the 2019 Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Longitudinal Associations of Neighborhood Social Cohesion With Self-Perceptions of Aging and Loneliness.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024Article
- Life Events and Loneliness Transitions Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults Around the World.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024Article
- The Impacts of Spirituality and Religious Participation on the Emotional Well-Being of Widowed Older Adults in Southeast Nigeria.Innovation in aging · 2024Article
- Parental Death Across the Life Course, Social Isolation, and Health in Later Life: Racial/Ethnic Disadvantage in the U.S.Social forces; a scientific medium of social study and interpretation · 2023Article
- The effect of widowhood on depression of caregivers.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Living Alone and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Japanese: Do Urbanization and Time Period Matter?The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2023Article
- Article
- Mourning in a Pandemic: The Differential Impact of COVID-19 Widowhood on Mental Health.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2022Article
- Detecting genetic heterogeneities in response to trauma: The case of 9/11.SSM. Mental health · 2022Article
- The Death of a Child and Parents' Psychological Distress in Mid to Later Life: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Exposure and Vulnerability.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2022Article
- Bereavement From COVID-19, Gender, and Reports of Depression Among Older Adults in Europe.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2022Article
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4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
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Abstract
objectivesSpousal death is a common late-life event with health-related sequelae. Evidence linking poor mental health to disease suggests the hypothesis that poor mental health following death of a spouse could be a harbinger of physical health decline. Thus, identification of bereavement-related mental health symptoms could provide an opportunity for prevention.
methodsWe analyzed data from N = 39,162 individuals followed from 1994 to 2016 in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study; N = 5,061 were widowed during follow-up. We tested change in mental and physical health from prebereavement through the 5 years following spousal death.
resultsBereaved spouses experienced an increase in depressive symptoms following their spouses' deaths but the depressive shock attenuated within 1 year. Bereaved spouses experienced increases in disability, chronic-disease morbidity, and hospitalization, which grew in magnitude over time, especially among older respondents. Bereaved spouses were at increased risk of death compared to nonbereaved respondents. The magnitude of depressive symptoms in the immediate aftermath of spousal death predicted physical-health decline and mortality risk over 5 years of follow-up. DISCUSSION: Bereavement-related depressive symptoms indicate a risk for physical health decline and death in older adults. Screening for depressive symptoms in bereaved older adults may represent an opportunity for intervention to preserve healthy life span.
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